In 1994, Joe Hamilton was a senior quarterback at Macedonia High School near Alvin, a tiny town in the Lowcountry. He threw 17 touchdowns and no interceptions that season.

He wanted to play in his home state at Clemson. He also wanted to play quarterback. However, Tommy West, Clemson’s head coach from 1994 to 1998, planned to move him to receiver or defensive back.

Clemson signed another quarterback in that recruiting class — Brandon Streeter, who started two years and returned in 2014 as Clemson’s quarterback coach.

Hamilton signed with Georgia Tech. He started four years and closed his career with Atlantic Coast Conference records in total offense and pass efficiency. He won the Davey O’Brien Award as a senior in 1999 and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Of the 30 victories he directed at Tech, Hamilton savored few more than the three he notched against Clemson.

“Every time the schedule came out, I would circle that game,” Hamilton said with a laugh. “I held a grudge against the Tigers for a long time.”

Hamilton no longer resents Clemson and even pulls for the Tigers when they are not playing his alma mater, as they will Thursday night in the season opener. Hamilton still reflects on his record against his home-state squad though, because it reminds him of a time when Georgia Tech was a perennial championship contender in the ACC and a formidable rival for Clemson.

Hamilton contends that Georgia Tech is positioned to restore that stature, if it capitalizes on the resources in its backyard. Tech is favorably located in a recruiting hotbed. It could compile the core of a championship roster without leaving the city limits.

Former Georgia Tech star Joe Hamilton, one of the most prolific players in ACC history, was named to the College Football of Fame(Photo: John Bazemore, Associated Press)

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If it leverages its advantages and mitigates its limitations, Georgia Tech could emerge as a perennial power and a perpetual problem for the rest of the ACC.

“The resources are there for them,” ESPN national recruiting director and former Tech quarterback Tom Luginbill said. “If North Carolina State can go back to back nine-win seasons in the ACC, there is no reason why Georgia Tech shouldn't be in the Top 4 most competitive programs in the country.”

Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins works with his kick returners during the team's first preseason NCAA college football practice Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in Atlanta. From his love of Waffle House to the embracing of social media, the first-year coach has seemingly been everywhere since his hiring by the Yellow Jackets. Now, the reality: he's trying to install a new offense with the opener against reigning national champion Clemson about a month away.(AP Photo/John Bazemore)(Photo: The Associated Press)

According to Luginbill, restoring the Ramblin' Wreck will require three strong recruiting cycles with a drastic roster reconfiguration. Collins’ predecessor, Paul Johnson, utilized a triple-option scheme predicated on running quarterbacks, blocking receivers and the scarce specialization of cut-blocking. Recruiting to that scheme preemptively eliminated Tech from many recruiting battles.

Through the past seven cycles, Tech never finished higher than No. 41 in the ESPN recruiting class rankings. Its current class is ranked No. 23.

In the past five cycles, the University of Georgia signed at least four of the Top 25 recruits in Georgia, based on ESPN rankings. It signed 13 of the Top 25 in 2017 and four of the Top 5 in 2018.

Conversely, Georgia Tech signed eight of the Top 100 Georgia recruits merely once in the past five classes. It highest-ranked Georgia recruit over that span was No. 39.

Of the 90 Georgians on the current UGA roster, 10 are from the city of Atlanta and 15 from Atlanta suburbs. Tech has 73 Georgians on its roster, but merely seven from Atlanta and 11 from the Atlanta suburbs.

Georgia Tech football players attend the MLS soccer match between Minnesota United and the LA Galaxy on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019, in Atlanta. New Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins set up the outing after his team's fan day at Bobby Dodd Stadium, part of his effort to make the Yellow Jackets a vibrant part of the city's sports culture. (AP Photo/Paul Newberry)(Photo: The Associated Press)

Four of Clemson’s projected starters are from Georgia, including Atlantan cornerback A.J. Terrell and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

“For a long time now, it's going to be a competition with Clemson and Georgia in the backyard, because they already have their boots on the ground and have that relationship with those high school coaches,” Hamilton said. “We have to show our faces. They need to see a priority and a direct change.”

Now that Collins has implemented conventional pro-style schemes on offense and defense, Tech's talent pool has expanded. But it must make up for lost time on the recruiting trail.

Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins speaks during the Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA college football media days in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, July 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)(Photo: The Associated Press)

“As far as skill players and quarterbacks go, they’re going to get there fast. How quickly they can make a dent in their offensive and defensive front is going to be a real, real challenge for them, and they know it,” Luginbill said. “What Geoff Collins has said is ‘Listen, we're smack dab in the middle of Atlanta. I can throw a rock outside of my window in any direction and hit a great player. How do we make ourselves attractive to that player?’”

Revamped recruiting starts with robust rebranding. Shortly after Collins arrived, Tech hired Santino Stancato to serve as brand manager. Tech also has a digital content coordinator and a recruiting and marketing coordinator dedicated to football.

Tech quickly rolled out social media campaigns and published new designs, videos and hashtags. The social media team has notably capitalized on the Tech’s apparel partnership. The Yellow Jackets switched from Russell Athletic to adidas last season. The move granted more than stylish uniforms.

“It's no slight to Russell, but the ability to brand yourself as an adidas school is huge,” ACC Network analyst and former Tech running back Roddy Jones said. “Whether it's a school or a business, if you can align yourself with like-minded, strong brands, it only helps you. Your messaging becomes their messaging, and people can hear it over and over. It’s allowed them on social media to have another reason to post things to engage with fans and recruits.”

Revamped recruiting continues with robust budgets. According to figures compiled by USA TODAY Sports, Tech spent $585,680 on football recruiting in the past academic year, the third-lowest total among the 21 public ACC and Southeastern Conference schools included in the compilation.

Georgia spent $2.6 million, more than any other program. Clemson and Florida State each spent more than $1.5 million, but Tech also spent less than Louisville, Minnesota, Indiana, Kansas and Rutgers.

“It takes a commitment from the university to say, ‘If we're really going to be good, we can't be in the bottom half of recruiting budget or evaluation budget. We need to be in the top half of our league,' " Luginbill said.

Collins expanded the Tech support staff, which included adding director of on-campus recruiting Carina Hargreaves, who served the previous three seasons at the University of South Carolina. The staff must utilize its resources to dispel any misconceptions about Tech’s tradition, its academic demands and its new vision.

Tech is one of five ACC programs that won a national championship in the past 30 years. It ranks in the Top 25 among all college football programs in wins. It has a majestic gameday setting, with the Atlanta skyline rising above the intimate Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Tech also offers a nationally revered education. The Institute is ranked No. 35 among 312 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. Tech is one of six ACC schools ranked in the Top 50, along with Duke (8), Virginia (25), Wake Forest (27), North Carolina (30) and Boston College (38). Georgia is No. 46. Clemson is No. 66.

Hamilton, who worked for three years on the recruiting staff for Johnson, asserted that Tech’s academic constraints are often misrepresented on the recruiting trail. Any player who meets NCAA eligibility requirements can be admitted at Tech. The challenge is ensuring players can conquer the rigorous curriculum with emphases on math and science.

And find a suitable major. Tech is renowned for engineering but it also offers degrees in programs many players pursue, including business administration, digital media, literature and communication.

“It's up to the coaches to get to know a kid and not put him in a bad situation if he can't get through Tech,” Hamilton said. “But if you graduate, you're going to be guaranteed a job. The Georgia Tech degree, that's a resume mover, especially in a city like Atlanta where you've got everything happening.”

Hamilton said the opportunities players can seize in Atlanta during and after their career at Tech exceed what conventional college towns like Athens, Clemson, Auburn, Gainesville and Tuscaloosa offer.

Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins works with his kick returners during the team's first preseason NCAA college football practice Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)(Photo: The Associated Press)

“You're going to those places just to play ball. You’re likely going to live somewhere else,” Hamilton said. “When you go to Georgia Tech, you say, ‘This is where I can see myself 40 years from now. With the resources and contacts I have, I can move down the street and have a career.’ The impact is more tangible.”

“I joke with my buddies who went to Georgia, Auburn, Alabama or Tennessee or anywhere else. They all moved to Atlanta after they were done with college. Why not just start there?” Jones said with a laugh.

Yet, for all of its advantages, Atlanta does have some limitations. It is large, but it is full. Even if Tech commits to competing in the arms races for facilities, it must get creative with its construction plans.

“Their stadium is really neat and kind of quaint. They’re really good on practice facilities,” Luginbill said, citing the indoor facility Tech opened in 2011 under athletic director Dan Radakovich, who became Clemson’s AD one year later.

Luginbill said the next step for Tech is a football operations center, similar to the immaculate facilities Clemson, South Carolina and Wake Forest have built and that Florida State and Georgia have planned.

“The issue Tech has that more rural programs don't is they don't have any space. Where do you go?" Luginbill said. "They want to enhance in that area. They've just got to figure logistically how they do it.”

File-This Dec. 7, 2018, file photo shows newly hired Georgia Tech football coach Geoff Collins, right, and athletic director Todd Stansbury posing with a school jersey during a news conference in Atlanta. Georgia Tech on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, announced plans to move five home games — one each in five consecutive seasons, including dates against Notre Dame in 2020 and 2024 — to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The stadium, home to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and MLS' Atlanta United, is less than one mile from the Georgia Tech campus. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)(Photo: The Associated Press)

No one should try to wake a sleeping giant quickly. This process will take time. According to Luginbill, the Tech coaching staff understands that, but more importantly, the Tech administration understands that.

Athletic director Todd Stansbury and his staff aim to provide the resources, latitude and time to build a winner.

“They know what the overhaul will take,” Luginbill said. “Geoff Collins has a blank canvas and a long leash.”